An iconic Kobe Bryant jersey from his MVP season sold for $5.8 million on Thursday, setting a new record.
Sotheby’s said the jersey worn by the late basketball star during 25 games of his 2007-2008 season is now the most expensive Kobe Bryant item ever sold at auction and the second most valuable jersey ever to be sold at auction.
The previous sale record for any item of Kobe Bryant sports memorabilia was set by a game-worn and autographed basketball jersey from the 1996-1997 season, which sold for $3.7 million in 2021.
“With today’s result, Sotheby’s is proud to now hold the record for any game-worn items of sports memorabilia from basketball’s trifecta: Kobe, Jordan, and LeBron,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectables, in a statement.
A representative for Sotheby’s declined to comment on the jersey’s buyer.
The jersey was worn during Bryant’s only MVP season and appears in what has become an iconic photo of the basketball legend, where he’s grabbing the jersey in elation after sinking a 3-point shot in Game 2 of the Western Conference series.
Sotheby’s previously estimated the jersey would sell for between $5 million and $7 million.
Sotheby’s in September sold Michael Jordan’s 1998 “Last Dance” jersey for $10.1 million, a record-breaking auction in its own right.